Find out where Ford cars are built, whether you should get a Ford warranty, where to find a Ford convertible, and other frequently asked questions.

Contents

The Ford car is built at many plants around the world. Although there are a multitude of Ford plant locations, many of them are shared with Ford's other brands: Lincoln and Mercury. Shared platforms make it easier to assemble multiple related products from different brands at the same plant. This guide highlights where popular Ford models are built and can help you if you prefer purchasing a vehicle made at a certain plant or in a certain country.

The compact Ford Focus is built at the assembly facility in Wayne, Michigan, United States. The mid-size Ford Fusion is manufactured alongside related Mercury and Lincoln models in Hermosillo, Sonora, Mexico. The full-size Taurus and the earlier Ford Five Hundred are assembled at Ford Chicago Assembly in Chicago, Illinois. The full-size Ford Crown Victoria that is widely used by police and fleet services is assembled in St. Thomas, Ontario, Canada. The sporty Mustang coupe and convertible are assembled at the Ford factory in Flat Rock, Michigan, United States, which is also known as Auto Alliance.

Among Ford's trucks and sport utility vehicles, the Escape is built in Claycomo, Missouri. The related Edge and Flex crossover vehicles are built in Oakville, Ontario, Canada alongside related Lincoln models. The popular Explorer is built in Louisville, Kentucky and previously in Hazelwood, Missouri. The full-size Expedition SUV is also built in Louisville, but was previously assembled in Wayne, Michigan until that plant changed its emphasis to smaller vehicles. Ford F-Series pickup trucks are manufactured at a variety of plants depending on cab style. These plants include Dearborn, Michigan; Kansas City, Missouri; Valencia, Venezuela and Cuautitlan, Mexico. The Transit Connect cargo and passenger vans are built in Kocaeli, Turkey and Craiova, Romania for the American market. The trusty ford E-Series Econoline van is manufactured in Avon Lake, Ohio.

Should I Get a Ford Warranty?

One of the most enticing elements of new Ford cars are the comprehensive Ford warranty package that comes included. These warranty guarantees are designed to serve as the manufacturer's promise to their customers that the vehicles they've made are in good quality condition and will last for many years to come. The warranty itself stands as Ford's promise to replace or repair a wide variety of parts on the vehicle if any of those parts should fail or become broken within the first few years or several thousand miles of driving. All in all, warranty agreements can save you hundreds or even thousands of dollars in unanticipated repair and replacement costs. It's important to consider the warranty that a manufacturer provides when you're deciding between new cars. Because of the excellent reputation that Ford customer service has, their warranties are considered a selling point.

Bumper to Bumper Warranty The standard warranty that Ford offers on new vehicles is a bumper to bumper guarantee. This protects virtually all parts of the car, the only exceptions being those parts that are designed to wear out and need replacement naturally. These include the oil filters, wheel flaps and a few other various components.

A new bumper to bumper warranty on a Ford vehicle is available for three years from the date of purchase of the car or for 36,000 driven miles, whichever should come about first. The warranty remains active if the car is sold or the ownership of the vehicle transfers during the time when the warranty is valid.

Ford Powertrain Warranty Ford's powertrain warranty covers the integral component systems of the vehicle. These include the engine, transmission systems, drive axle and more. Because these parts are completely vital to the proper functioning of the vehicle, and repairing or replacing them can be more costly than many other components of your vehicle, Ford offers a 5-year warranty on these specific parts. This warranty is also good for 60,000 driven miles, whichever should come about first.

Corrosion Warranty Ford's corrosion warranty protects certain parts of your vehicle against rust and corrosion damage. This damage may occur after an accident or due to exposure. With this warranty plan in effect, Ford will repair or replace any components of the car that have been damaged by corrosion due to several different causes. This warranty is valid for five years from the time of purchase, and there are no maximum number of miles allotted under this guarantee.

Ford also offers extended warranties on all new vehicles. These cost additional money but offer added protection for different components of your vehicle. They also serve to extend the warranties that come standard with new Ford vehicles, making them valid for longer periods of time and over greater numbers of miles driven. Ask a Ford representative for additional assistance or with any other questions that you have.

What Are the Most Recommended Options for Ford Warranties?

No warranty will include every single possibility and not everything will be covered by the warranty. Anything caused by wear and tear or misuse will not be covered by the warranty. Extended warranties may include some provisions for extra components, but this will vary depending on the company offering the warranty.

Expiry The length of time that your Ford standard warranties will last depends on a number of different things. This will include the type of vehicle you are purchasing, and also when you purchased it. Some Ford Factory warranties will expire after 36,000 miles or three years. Most newer cars now come with a 5-year, 60,000 mile powertrain warranty.

Emissions Control This warranty will cover anything which could affect the emissions which come out of your vehicle. These include filler caps and even on-board computer systems.

Transferability The Ford limited warranty is fully transferable. This means that if you sell your car before the warranty has expired, you can transfer the warranty to the new owner.

Is Ford Still a Domestic Manufacturer?

Founded by Henry Ford in 1903, and with its headquarters housed in Dearborn, Michigan, it might seem that Ford Motor company is a domestic manufacturer. However, there are many nuances to the corporation that make it an international company.

Ford Motor Company produces all of the Ford, Lincoln and Mercury brands but they also have part ownership with Volvo, Mazda, Aston Marin and, until recently, Land Rover and Jaguar. These other car lines are located in Sweden, Japan and England. In fact, many of Ford's primary car production activities take place outside of the United States. Although Ford has divested itself of the larger percentages of ownership in most of these ventures, they still have an ownership interest in them. In most cases, they own 10% to 15% of these other brands.

In terms of who actually buys Ford products, you can also make the case that they are not a domestic manufacturer anymore. Ford's sales are often on par with and sometimes even higher in Europe than they are in the United States. Additionally, Ford has only Volkswagen in front of it as the largest automaker in Europe. Ford has found many niche markets in Europe, Africa, Asia and beyond, that takes into account the demographic and geographic needs of the country, and builds cars specifically for them. This is partially what makes it successful overseas.

When you look at the output of automobiles by Ford and its subsidiaries by geographical area, you will see why it is less a domestic manufacturer and more international. The latest data available shows that North American plants put out only 3.7 million cars/vehicles of the 7.0 million produced (data from 2003). This means that almost half of the vehicles manufactured were made outside the United States. And when you consider further that North America number includes outputs from Mexican and Canadian plants, it is safe to say that less than half of Ford's cars are produced in the US.

International business is vital for any corporation to survive. Ford might have started as a domestic company, but has embraced the needs of countries overseas. They now produce and sell more than half of their vehicles outside of the United States. This change of strategy has moved it well beyond a domestic manufacturer and into the realm of international business. This strategy is also responsible for the company continuing to stay viable during troubling economic times in the US.

Where Can I Find a Ford Convertible for Sale?

Many people today are looking for a good Ford convertible for sale to restore, or to use as a second vehicle. For many, it is finally realizing a lifelong dream of owning a car like a Mustang convertible, or some other type of Ford vehicle. Finding a convertible can be somewhat of a challenge for someone who is both limited on budget and location. Here are a few places you can start your hunt for a Ford convertible for sale.

Online Resources There are many websites that cater to people who are looking for a reliable and inexpensive car. You can find sports cars, SUVs, luxury cars, rare vehicles and any other type of motorized vehicle you can think of. As great as is it is to have a world of used cars at your fingertips, you should use a certain amount of caution when buying online. There are times when what is listed is not the actual item that you have bought.

Craigslist or eBay Two of the Internet resources that are very powerful in finding Ford convertibles for sale are eBay and Craigslist. Both of these sites are places where people can list their items for sale and others can either bid on them, as in eBay, or contact the person for more information. Both are great places for finding a Ford convertible. If you are looking for more local buying options, you can narrow your search down to your state or city.

Ford Car Forums Another place to look is in online forums where people who are interested in convertibles go, hang out and talk to each other. An online forum is a great place to pick up a wealth of information and items for sale. Confer with the people who go there and ask for any leads.

Used Ford Dealer A used Ford dealer is a place that can lead to very good deals when you are looking for a reliable convertible. There are several ways in which they would be able to help you in your search. The dealer might have something on the lot that was previously a trade in. Perhaps the most powerful way they can help you is through their network of contacts. Talk with some of the salespeople there and they can begin to keep an eye out for something that is in good shape and cheap. However, you will need to give them very specific instructions. Let them know your price range and the exact type of convertible you are looking for.

Talk to Your Friends You never know who is going to know something about a Ford convertible. Some of your friends might have a larger circle of friends. One of the people might know of someone who is selling the Ford convertible you are looking for, or are selling one themselves. Do not overlook this source of information.

How Can I Keep Up with New Deals on Ford Convertibles?

If you are interested in finding the best deals and prices on Ford convertibles, then you'll definitely want to stay abreast of the latest offers and promotions as they are available. Here's how to stay on top of seasonal sales and Ford rebates that may be available.

Create a Ford RSS Feed One of the easiest ways to stay abreast of Ford's seasonal sales or rebates that can be used to save money on a convertible is to simply create an RSS feed. RSS stands for Really Simple Syndication and Ford makes it easy for you to create a customizable feed that will always display the latest articles and news about Ford convertibles. You can visit Ford's RSS feed page and click on the topics that interest you. For convertible cars, you should select "convertibles". You should also select as options: "financing" and "Ford credit" as well. You can then import the RSS feed into popular RSS readers such as Google, AOL and MSN. Alternatively, you can use the feed in a separate stand-alone RSS reader program.

Sign Up for Ford Convertible Newsletters Search for websites that discuss Ford convertibles and any applicable financing or credit deals. If the website has a newsletter, make sure that you sign up. You will then be informed of any upcoming deals or promotions that may help you save money on a Ford convertible purchase.

Bookmark Applicable Websites In your search for finding deals and promotions on Ford convertible vehicles, always be sure to bookmark helpful and informative websites. In most web browsers you can simply press "Ctrl" and "D" keys on your keyboard to create a bookmark. You can also choose the bookmarks or favorites option on the menu bar in your web browser to quickly make a permanent bookmark. You'll be able to relocate those helpful websites easier in the future.

You should always bookmark sites where Ford convertibles are frequently discussed, as well as the main page for the Ford vehicle you may be interested in. Then, visit the sites frequently to stay abreast of upcoming deals and promotions.

Create News and Search Email Alerts Most major search engines now allow you to create news and search alerts that can be quickly sent to you via e-mail. For instance, Google allows you to create news or search alerts based on search terms that you enter into the search box. Therefore, if you're interested in Ford convertible deals and promotions, you might want to create a news or search alert based on those search terms.

In the Google search box, if you enter the terms "Ford convertible finance deals" and click the search button, you'll be shown not only links to relevant web pages, you'll also be shown a link where you can create an alert for the search term. Google will then e-mail you links to any new news or search results that match the entered term.

In this case, Google will e-mail you links to sites that provide information about deals and promotions that may be offered by Ford Motor Credit as they become available. Other major search engines offer this feature as well.

Additional Tips

Here are five tips to help you with the purchase of a new Ford car. Keep in mind that buying a car is a very big decision. If you choose to buy a Ford, you will see that there are a lot of options available. This list should help narrow down the choices.

Choose the appropriate body. There is the ever popular Ford Mustang, hatchback, coupe, SUV, minivan and the Ford Ranger truck. If you are looking a vehicle that is ultra sporty, consider going with a smaller Ford that can offer the edge you are looking for. Faster vehicles tend to be the ones that are not as bulky. Minivans are best suited for those with a large family. Company cars usually are the sedan or Ford truck. The hatchback works well for those who don't need a lot of space or storage area

Calculate your budget. New Ford vehicles cost between $15,000 and $50,000. The models that are in the lower end of the spectrum are the Ford Fiesta, Taurus and Flex. These vehicles were designed to be economy cars that people could afford to buy without having to give up quality. Some car buyers might be wary of purchasing on the low end, but Ford constructs only the highest quality cars. The materials are made to last and that's why they have such a high number of repeat customers

Consider extra accessories. When you're buying brand new from the dealership, purchase the stock options to get a discount on the total package. For instance, you can get the smokers package with a brand new Ford vehicle at no extra cost to you. Also, there is a security package that you can purchase for less than $400. Most dealerships let you know about the deals when you're shopping around on their lot. Aftermarket accessories can get expensive, so it's best to buy them on the lot

Look at Ford hybrids.There is a new fleet of fuel efficient Fords that consumers have been comparing since they first came out. The Ford Fiesta is actually an old vehicle brought to life once again by Ford. This vehicle has 4 and 5-door options available. The gas mileage is over 30 miles per gallon on the highway and meets industry standards. It was once a concept car and now it is here for you to purchase. See why these vehicles have been recipients of trend awards

Shop on discount days. Throughout the year, Ford dealerships have deals on their vehicles so you can purchase with big discounts. Join company mailing lists and pay attention to any advertisements that may run across the Internet and television. Some people may qualify for discounts that they weren't aware of. Take advantage of the Ford discounts and research the models before you purchase. The best tip for any model car buying is to go there knowing exactly what you want. An informed decision is always the best one.

Related Questions and Answers

Which Ford Family Cars Have the Highest Seat Capacity?

The Ford family cars with the largest seating capacity are the Expedition and the Flex. The Expedition can carry up to eight people, while the Flex can hold seven. The Explorer comes in next with six people. Ford does make a number of vans that can hold up to 15 people, but these vehicles are mainly cargo vans. Ford stopped making the Excursion, which at one point was the largest SUV made. It could seat up to nine people comfortably. If you need this type of seating capacity, you can find these vehicles in the used car market.

What are the New Ford Vehicles for 2011?

There are no completely new Ford vehicles for 2011. There have been many small changes made to various models, but Ford is not introducing any completely new cars this year. A great place to get the details on the changes to the 2011 lineup is Drive Classic Ford. They have a complete rundown of the changes that Ford has made to their vehicles. A couple of examples would be: The Ford Edge has received an extensive exterior rework, the Mustang is given new engine and transmission options, and the Ford Taurus is available in three new paint colors. Some of these changes are significant, while others are barely worth mentioning.

What are the Most Popular Antique Ford Cars?

There are a number of antique Ford cars that make the list of most popular collector cars. Probably the most popular classic Ford car is the Mustang. The Mustang is considered the all American muscle car. All years of this car are collected, but the most popular are the mid to late sixties. The Thunderbird is also a highly collectible car. Ford created the very first collectible car when it started mass production of the Model T. These antique cars are very popular with collectors, and there are thousands of them still being driven.

Are Ford Used Car Prices Trending Higher or Lower?

Ford used car prices will vary depending on the model. In general, used car prices have been trending a bit higher in the last year. Reductions in new car incentives have made used vehicles more attractive, which has driven prices up. These trends will vary by model. Ford models that are in high demand will command a bit of a premium. As an example, the Escape is currently a used vehicle sought after, so you will most likely pay a bit more than the Blue Book price. Other models may be a bargain, as they are less in demand.

Where can I find Information on Ford Car Problems and Recalls?

If you are looking for information about Ford car problems, go directly to Ford's website. The Ford Owner's Site has recall information on all Ford makes and models. You simply enter your VIN number and the site will pull up all of the recall information in regards to your vehicle. In the event of a recall, Ford will mail out notices to all current owners of their vehicles. If they do not have your current mailing information, you may not get the notice. If your car has been recalled, it is best to take it to a dealer and let them perform the repair. Recall repairs can involve safety issues, so getting it repaired as soon as possible is important.